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I guess I touched a nerve there. Much of science is still theory, and theories are a very valuable way to help explain things, but they are not 'overwhelming e

I guess I touched a nerve there. Much of science is still theory, and theories are a very valuable way to help explain things, but they are not 'overwhelming evidence'. Also, this thinking that religion has been forced into a corner is dependent upon the crowd you are a part of (crowd behavior). The opposite crowd might have you thinking the opposite. If an atheist believes without faith, then that means that they are completely sure of everything. Another term for this is close-mindedness.

ddemchuk 18y ago
Atheists do not believe. They lack belief in the assertions of theists. It is the burden of the theists to provide ample evidence to support their assertion that we all live under the watchful eye of an omnipotent God.
- nathanwdavis 18y ago
  This argument just doesn't hold. The atheist believes that the assertions of theists are incorrect and have faith that they are correct in that belief. The mere fact that you have replied to my post says that you <i>do</li> feel the burden to explain your belief in atheism - which in turn reinforces that your belief is based on a faith.
  - awad 18y ago
    faith: firm belief in something for which there is no proof Being atheist is not a matter of faith; it's a matter of logic and science. To have faith is to believe in something that does not make logical sense and has not and cannot be proved scientifically. There is NO faith involved with an atheist.
  - ddemchuk 18y ago
    Your argument implies that all knowledge is simply a system of beliefs cemented in by faith in those beliefs which leaves us on an equal playing field in regards to the validity of each side of the argument. By doing so, you're undermining all that we know to be true by equating logical facts with faith based beliefs and that is truly selling human intelligence and reason short. I don't have a belief in atheism because there is nothing to believe in atheism. Like I said before, atheism is a lack of belief in the assertions of theists. This lack of belief is supported by a logical appraisal of the assertions of the theists, not the non-evidence based blind faith of theistic thinkers.
    - Kaizyn 18y ago
      Your assessment of the argument is correct. At the base of any body of knowledge is a collection of axioms or assumptions that are taken as true without any proof required. Consider the scientific method. It is taken as a given that an experimental result will hold for every observer who attempts the same experiment at any time or location (provided that the result is true). This is wholly unprovable, but we consider it to be a reasonable thing to accept on faith.
awad 18y ago
But the point is that an atheist does not know and is not completely sure. Religion, on the other hand, tends to sell itself as having all the answers (except when it doesn't, then it's simply a matter of God's will). Atheists simply can't believe that religion has all the answers, there just is not any proof in that being the case.
- Kaizyn 18y ago
  It sounds as if you are confusing agnosticism with atheism. The atheist asserts that God does not exist; the theist asserts that God exists; and the agnostic asserts that they cannot know if God exists or not. Skepticism is healthy and good. All truth claims should be carefully examined and only accepted if enough supporting evidence exists to satisfy you.
frisco 18y ago
I'm not sure where "crowd behavior" comes into this. In the 16th century, we believed that the species of the Earth were created whole by a God. Now, science has provided a better more defensible explanation. It is this pattern I was referring to, that's been repeated endlessly cross many phenomena formerly best explained by religion, to the point the religion is only left with "well, where did the big bang come from?"

ddemchuk 18y ago

Atheists do not believe. They lack belief in the assertions of theists. It is the burden of the theists to provide ample evidence to support their assertion that we all live under the watchful eye of an omnipotent God.

nathanwdavis 18y ago
This argument just doesn't hold. The atheist believes that the assertions of theists are incorrect and have faith that they are correct in that belief. The mere fact that you have replied to my post says that you <i>do</li> feel the burden to explain your belief in atheism - which in turn reinforces that your belief is based on a faith.
- awad 18y ago
  faith: firm belief in something for which there is no proof Being atheist is not a matter of faith; it's a matter of logic and science. To have faith is to believe in something that does not make logical sense and has not and cannot be proved scientifically. There is NO faith involved with an atheist.
- ddemchuk 18y ago
  Your argument implies that all knowledge is simply a system of beliefs cemented in by faith in those beliefs which leaves us on an equal playing field in regards to the validity of each side of the argument. By doing so, you're undermining all that we know to be true by equating logical facts with faith based beliefs and that is truly selling human intelligence and reason short. I don't have a belief in atheism because there is nothing to believe in atheism. Like I said before, atheism is a lack of belief in the assertions of theists. This lack of belief is supported by a logical appraisal of the assertions of the theists, not the non-evidence based blind faith of theistic thinkers.
  - Kaizyn 18y ago
    Your assessment of the argument is correct. At the base of any body of knowledge is a collection of axioms or assumptions that are taken as true without any proof required. Consider the scientific method. It is taken as a given that an experimental result will hold for every observer who attempts the same experiment at any time or location (provided that the result is true). This is wholly unprovable, but we consider it to be a reasonable thing to accept on faith.

awad 18y ago

But the point is that an atheist does not know and is not completely sure. Religion, on the other hand, tends to sell itself as having all the answers (except when it doesn't, then it's simply a matter of God's will). Atheists simply can't believe that religion has all the answers, there just is not any proof in that being the case.

Kaizyn 18y ago
It sounds as if you are confusing agnosticism with atheism. The atheist asserts that God does not exist; the theist asserts that God exists; and the agnostic asserts that they cannot know if God exists or not. Skepticism is healthy and good. All truth claims should be carefully examined and only accepted if enough supporting evidence exists to satisfy you.

frisco 18y ago

I'm not sure where "crowd behavior" comes into this. In the 16th century, we believed that the species of the Earth were created whole by a God. Now, science has provided a better more defensible explanation. It is this pattern I was referring to, that's been repeated endlessly cross many phenomena formerly best explained by religion, to the point the religion is only left with "well, where did the big bang come from?"